shitty 'monday'

 

my alarm goes off at 01:45 in the winter.  i snugged back into my bed and waited for alarm #2.  my phone alarm went off at 02:00 and the first thing i saw was the text message.  "buzzkill: some bastard busted our window.  at least we had our valuables with us (like bria)." 

which meant that while my husband and daughter were taking in a concert in philadelphia, someone broke into our car. 

not a happy kate.

meanwhile, said family is just arriving home from said concert.  i encouraged the use of a trash bag to cover the window.  yes, i meant now.

i warmed up the shower and waited a minute... and then another... and then another... and then i realized, in my sleepy state that the shower was not warming up.  at all.  it was getting colder. 

back up:  the water heater ducked out on us on wednesday.  i hand washed several sinkloads of dishes.  the kids were nice and ripe when i broke down and rented a hotel room thursday night and played 'kid wash' early friday morning before school, in fear that the plumbing company would not have time to 'squeeze us in' on friday before 2pm.  on the way back from the hotel, i got a call that they were in the driveway. 

plumb-dude pulled out two snarkified elements (normal wear and tear), and replaced the thermostats as well.  at 11:30, he told me that within the hour, i should have a full tank of hot water.  at 4pm, someone took a shower.  at 6:30 i ran a full load of dishes in the dishwasher.  that's it.  that's all i got.

*not* a happy kate.

so the warranty people called the plumbing people again today.  plumbers can't be out until monday sometime between 10-5.  even though this is technically an existing ticket, because it still isn't fixed from yesterday.  the kate is getting quite angry.  warranty people are currently contacting various supervisors to submit a request for hotel room reimbursement so we can TAKE A FRIGGIN SHOWER.

glass people are not available until monday, and then they will order the part and maybe install it tuesday. 

OMFG being a trend-setter is cool and all, but seriously?  so everyone in the county has busted pipes AND windows all at the same time?  seriously??  there are SOOOOOO many that there is a waiting list for both of them? 

needless to say, i have a full week ahead of me - oh, and i'm running out of sick time, so how am i supposed to stay home from work to wait for plumb-dude to 'do another trial and error'? 

 

Kate & Tad Callin

 

8 December 2010

 

Xxxxxxx  School,

 

On Friday last, our home was besieged by a filthy unknown virus, wreaking havoc amongst all of our kind citizens, the likes of which we have never before seen.  In an earnest attempt to thwart this vile fiend, we fought, valiantly, and vanquished the beast which threatened our very livelyhoods!!

 

Please, then, I implore you to excuse the absence of ___________ from his/her schooling on Monday, 6 and Tuesday, 7 December, whilst we returned our health and humanity to regularity.  Hesitate not to place an inquiry with me, should you need further details of our victorious battle.

 

 

 

Kate Callin

got smrt?

what time is it? that's right...

some airports are like luxury hotels.  some provide you with little paper slippers so you don't have to mix your feet with other feet on that horrid floor-thing.  others provide quart-sized ziplock bags for all of your liquids.  some even go so far as to have them specially made, with the 3-1-1 guidelines printed right on the baggie for your convenience.  still others have the massive resources to pay someone 8 hours a day to do nothing more than stand there and push your stuff into the x-ray machine for you.  wow.  it must be rough to live in those states.  here in a place i like to call "reality," otherwise known as "charm city," our budget is far more constrained.  FAR far more.

 

we do not have the money to provide all of our passengers with plastic ziplock baggies.  if you don't have the wherewithal to own a box of baggies (which cost as little as $1 at the dollar tree store), you either leave your liquids in the suitcase and risk a bag check, or you can dump them all into a bowl.  either way, your failure to properly pack is no reason to abuse my state's budget.  your luggage = your baggie.  the end.

 

i live pretty green.  you wouldn't expect your local public swimming pool to provide you with throw-away flip flops, would you?  no.  you bring your own.  save a tree.  pack your own socks.  i know *i* wouldn't walk on those nasty floors in my bare feet.

 

we are constantly called mouth-breathing simian thugs, incapable of reasoning and original thought.  so you think i'm going to steal your laptop (and hide it.... where?  in my pants?) and shoes (yup, been accused of that, too)... why on earth would you turn your back on your belongings in an international airport and expect me, or better yet a complete stranger in line behind you, to move your shit for you?  you can hire someone at the airport to play porter for you, if you are simply too good to move your own goods.  just ask at the ticket counter.  oh, and, i hate to be the one to point this out, but, if your bag is so heavy that you can't lift it onto a table, you won't be able to get it into the overhead bin, either.

 

what, you ask, brought on this rant?

 

a woman had a handbag with a pre-printed 3-1-1 baggie inside (which i had not seen before) containing a 16 ounce bottle of lotion.  right on the bag it says "if it is too big for this baggie, it is too big for your carryon."  there were three inches of bottle sticking out of the top of the zipper.  and i'm stupid?

 

someone left a laptop bag out on the table.  i sighed, walked up to the front of the x-ray then pushed the bag inside the machine.  joy of joys.  it had an electronic device inside - quite of few of them, actually.  they were all stacked on one side.  i asked several passengers if this particular bag belonged to them.  a man tried to yank it out of my hand.  he failed.  i asked him if it was his.  he snarled at me that he wouldn't know if it was his if he wasn't allowed to look inside.  he told me that yes, he owned a laptop bag and yes, it did very strongly resemble the one in my hot mitts, and demanded to know why it took so long to get through the machine.  um, because YOU abandoned it, asshat.

 

a woman traveling with her son refused to remove their shoes.  she plopped into the chair in the screening room and demanded additional screening.  she took off her shoes (sockless) and held her feet suspended in the air while i had them x-rayed.  i had to pat her down and everything.  and then her son had to go through the additional screening as well.  the same way.  then she wanted to speak to my supervisor because i was "taking too long."  she claimed to be a supervisor from puerto rico but never once showed ID to back up that claim.  my supervisor informed her that, instead of discipline, he would put my name in for a time-off award for doing my job exceptionally well.  that pissed her off greatly.  i never did get the award (and did not expect it), but it's good to know that he backed me up 100%.

 

meh.  it is my friday, and this is the end of my rant.